My main concern when signing up for NaNoWriMo (and NaNoWriMo-Lame-oh) was quarterly tax time which has to be finalised in the next two weeks. So, I am in the midst of getting dozens and dozens of receipts (ranging from those tiny shreds of curled, faded paper eagerly-torn from an original roll, to A3 size) in chronological order. The receipts also have to be sorted and then manually entered into an accounting program.
While my poor, numbed-with-boredom left (analytical) brain is churning through each and every bit of paper laboriously, my right (creative) brain is resting. It is taking it easy, stretching out on a hammock, and sipping a chai-latte. Hours later (usually when I am home and tearing myself between my 8 year-old's homework and cooking dinner) left brain snatches the latte-glass out of right brain's hand and bumps him out of the hammock. Bad luck, year 2 maths!
Right brain is then in full gear. You see, I write best when I am standing at my laptop, between chopping vegetables, checking on the boiling pasta and supervising said homework. I call this bitch-hour. Also, by depriving myself of the joy of writing for a large chunk of the day, my sub-conscience somehow builds up the main parts of the story that I want to tell. These 'main parts' are what I hungrily type up in bits and pieces during bitch-hour. And then in the evening, when life has quietened substantially, I can then immerse myself and write between the lines, adding the cushioning, if you will. This is how I roll with my writing.
Now, you are probably thinking how presumptuous of her, thinking she has two brains? Well, scientifically, and anatomically, I do. In fact, we all have two brains, the left and right hemispheres, that are joined only by a bundle of nerves (the corpus callosum). For thought processes our two brains can function independently of each other. And, as you may be aware, we are usually functionally dominant in one or the other.
Ever wondered which of your brain hemispheres is the dominant one? Well, here's your chance to check. If you see the dancer below moving clockwise then your left brain is dominant and you are more analytical in your approach to thought processes. If you see the dancer moving anti-clockwise then you tend to see 'the bigger picture', you are more philosophical in your thoughts and can present multiple possibilities to a situation.
I am definitely right-brained and that suits my writing and me just fine.
What are you? Let me know in the comments section and what your thoughts are on this.
NaNoWriMo words so far: 4167
21 comments:
What an interesting post, loved reading it! Yep, I'm definately a lefty.
Hi Mon, I am glad you enjoyed reading it. See you soon!
no matter how hard i tried, she is moving anti clock-wise
but seriously, is there really a need for the beautifully shaped boobs and the perfect nipples, not to mention the shapely butt and tiny waist? ;p
oh and hana says its moving clock-wise!
I see both! Every time I blink, it changes direction. What does that say about me? Haha.
Very interesting post, Mervat!
I see her moving more in a clockwise fashion, I think. Although not really--it's a stretch to say that as clockwise to me means around the circle mounted against the wall or the wrist.
Mervat, this is a very interesting post. Thanks for getting me thinking! That image is hypnotizing my daughter for a minute. LOL.
Great test. She definately moves anti-clockwise for me. I looked at if for a very long time and finally got it to go clockwise tho.
Darla
Oh my goodness! I tried and tried to get her to move clockwise and I just can't do it. She just keeps rotating the non-analytical way. That is mind boggling!
I really enjoyed this post (and I am super-impressed that you can totally see the positive side of doing your taxes). In fact, I think I'll have to come back again and again to this post to try and get that dancing diva to change direction!
Hi Mervat!
How's your Nanowrimo project going? Would love to hear from you over on the blog if you get the chance!
Andrea x
She's only going anti-clockwise. I get flashes of clockwise motion out of my periphery, but yep. Counter-clockwise for me!
I hope your writing is going well!
She moves in both directions for me. Wonder why???
huh. clockwise.
however, my ability to see the bigger picture, be more philosophical, and present multiple alternatives in any situation is stunningly, outrageously, irritatingly in evidence. in fact, i regularly drive friends and family completely nuts by my over-determined tendencies in just that direction.....i think the left/right brain idea has merit, but dare it say it! 'it's far from the whole story'.
very interesting post! it's fascinating to see other people's creative processes. steph
I see both ways. Hard to tell which is more dominant.
Hope Nano is going well for you. I finished it three or four times, but have missed the last two years.
Great to see you again.
Cheers,
Casey
Hello my dear readers,
Thank you all for your well-considered comments. I have had a pretty tough couple of weeks since I wrote this post. Both Nano and my blogging have fallen way behind. But, such is life. I am a strong believer in living out one's pain or whatever else is of concern, and to take one's time, but also to remember that things will always look up again. The best thing about the last couple of weeks though is that I turned 40 on the 9th of November. I will post about my wonderful day soon.
Regarding this post, I loved reading about which direction you thought the dancer was moving in. My guess (as well as anyone else's, I am sure) is that if you see her moving in both directions evenly (and you have a pretty up-to-speed monitor) then you would to be a combination of both analytical and creative thinker. If one direction dominates then this must be true. Overall though, I am sure we all have a gut feeling about the sort of thinker we are. It's still interesting and fun to do a light-hearted test such as this.
Thank you again for your support and I hope to visit your blog soon.
Take care,
Mervat
xo
great experience, dude! thanks for this great
Articles wow... it's very wonderful report.
Well happy birthday! My niece just turned 40 today. Lots of November birthdays I think. Lots of parents liked to fool around in Mach. Spring fever and all. I hope Nano went well for you. I miss it a lot. I've got 43 next year. From now on I have to say that I'm in my 40's. Ugh!
Cheers,
Casey
brain? me?
just realized how many bloggers fall to the side of blogging for NaNo dead lines! tipping my coffee mug to you dear!
She is turning clockwise for me... No doubt. How interesting an idea to know like this! I always thought I'd be a righty but actually not. Analytical I do tend to be...
Hi, Came across your blog and read your post looked at the gal definitely going counterclock wise. Then I read a few comments, checked her out one more time when there was a brain snap and suddenly she was going clockwise! What do you suppose that means?
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